Convicted felon and President of the United States Donald Trump told US farmers to suck it up, he's starting a trade war.
With a tweet that I am sure will reassure no farmers, Donald Trump encouraged them to find domestic customers for the $179 billion or so in agriculture exports he plans to jeopardize. China is reportedly considering targeting agriculture to reciprocate for Trump's anticipated "new" tariffs. Mexico, who knows? Trump is violating a trade agreement he bragged about a few years ago.
On Feb. 11, Trump issued a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum to go into effect on March 12, a move that Mexico Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard said violated the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The agreement replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement on July 1, 2020, and is up for review next year.
On Feb. 3, Mexico and the U.S. reached a deal that delayed a raise on tariffs on all Mexican imports. Part of the deal stated that Mexico needs to beef up its security to decrease the flow of drugs into the U.S. while the U.S. will investigate its part in trafficking guns to Mexico.
Mexico respected its part of the deal and on Feb. 5, began "Operation Frontera Norte," sending the first of 10,000 Mexican National Guard and Army troops to northern border states.
According to Mexican government data, between the beginning of the operation on Feb. 5 and Feb. 27, 914 people were arrested and 896 firearms and 36,702 pounds of drugs seized.
Courthouse News
